PHILAE)
Ile de Philae. Vue Generale Prise du Cote du Nord Est.Paris. Panckouke. Ca. 1820. Copper plate engraving (uncolored), image approx. 17 x 23 inches on sheet approximately 21 x 28 inches. Very good condition: light scattered foxing (mainly outside image area), faint crease in upper left corner of image. Publisher's blindstamp at top right. This very large, finely engraved image is plate 3 from Volume I of the Antiquities section of the monumental publication "Description de L'Egypte," which documented the research of the "savants" who accompanied Napoleon Bonaparte's ambitious expedition to Egypt (1798-1801). The full title, translated into English reads "Description of Egypt, or the collection of observations and research made in Egypt during the Expedition of the French Army" hinting at the varied purposes of this foray into the Middle East. The European demand for information about Egypt and its glorious monuments led to the publication of two editions of the work, with engravings pulled from the same printing plates; this is from the second edition, uncolored as issued. Shown is a view of the Island of Philae from the North East; the quality of the engraving powerfully evokes the splendor of the beautiful structures and surrounding landscape.
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